Direct
examination by Dwight Green:
Green: What
is
your occupation?
Hoover: Minister of the gospel.
Green:Do you know
the defendant Alphonse Capone?
Hoover: Yes. There he is
[pointing at Capone].
Green:When did
you first see him?
Hoover: On a
Saturday
afternoon in May, 1925, at 4818 West 22nd. That was a
gambling
establishment.
Green: Where in
this establishment did you see him?
Hoover: In the
main gambling hall on the second
floor, and later back behind the partition, in a back room.
Green: Describe
the second floor.
Hoover: It was a
large hall, with gambling apparatus, chairs, and
racing forms, and then to the rear a partition shut off a back room.
Green: Where on
the second floor did you first see the defendant?
Hoover: I was in
the larger hall. I
saw him first when he came up the stairway, into the hall, and
disappeared into
the back room.
Green: Did the
defendant say anything upon entering the hall?
Hoover: Yes, he
said, “This is the last
raid you'll ever pull.”
Green: Did you
see
him again?
Hoover: Yes, I
followed him into the back room. When I saw him then he was
taking the money out of the till and putting it into his pockets.
Green:Did you
talk with the defendant at this time?
Hoover: Yes,
I said to
Lieutenant Davidson, “Who is this man?” and Mr. Capone raised his head
and
replied, “I'm Al Brown, if that's good enough for you.” I said, “Oh, I
thought
it was someone like that, someone more powerful than the President of
the United States.”
Green: What else
did the defendant say?
Hoover: He said,
“Why are you fellows always picking on me?” I
told him. this was not a personal matter, that we were simply trying to
uphold
the law in the western suburbs.
Green: Did you
see
the defendant at a later time on the same day in this establishment?
Hoover: Yes.
Green: What did
he
say, if, anything?
Hoover: He said,
“Reverend, can't you and I get together - come to
some understanding?” I asked him what he meant, and he said, “If you
will let
up on me in Cicero,
I'll withdraw from Stickney.” I said, “Mr. Capone, the only
understanding you
and I can have is that you must obey the law or get out of the western
suburbs.”
Green: How did
the
defendant appear on this occasion, when you first saw him?
Hoover: He was
dressed as
though he had just gotten out of bed, with a pajama shirt and a suit of
clothes. He was unshaven.
Green: Was there
ever any reference made to any particular place in Stickney by the
defendant? Hoover:
Not specifically, but it was quite apparent to me that what he referred
to was
the raiding of the Harlem Inn.
Court:
What had you raided in Stickney?
Hoover: The Harlem
Inn, a vice resort, and other places.
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